Latch



(NO Model.)

M- C. NILES.

LATCH.

Patented Jam. 18, 1887.

5 5 l 6 5 .OO O. NK

MRN

s UNITED STATES ArnNr @Irina MILTON o. NILEs, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

LATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 356,155, dated January 18, 1887.

` Application filed September 27, 1884. Serial No. 134,166. (No model.)

To @ZZ 'whom/ it may concern:

Be it known that I, MILTON G. NILEs, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Latches, of which the following is a speciiication.

The obj ect of this invention is to detachably connect one or both of the knob-Shanks with the follower or hub-cam piece provided for operating a latch either directly or indirectly, as through an intermediate latch-lever, and to so form the connection between the knob-shank and the follower that so long as the knobshank is maintained at right angles to a door in or to which the latch is applied a detachment of the knob-shank from the follower shall be impracticable.

A further object is to provide a simple construction of follower, adapted both to' operate the latch and to connect the knob-spindles with each other, and also .adapted to maintain its proper position in the case under all ordinary circumstances.

These objects I attain by means of the devices illustrated in the annexed drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a horizontal section through a latch embodying my invention, with the latch-bolt, the knobs, and their connecting device; Fig. 2, a vertical section of the same with the latch-bolt projecting outside of the case; Fig. 3, a similar view showing the latchbolt retracted; Fig. La perspective of one of the knobs detached from the latch 5 Figs. 5 and 6, similar and reversed views of the follower for connecting the knobs. Fig. 7 is a detail showing a knob in an inclined position, with its shank inserted in the case and in the act of being connected with the follower.

Referring by letter to the several figures of the annexed drawings, in which like letters denote like parts, A indicates the case of an ordinary mortise-lock, and B the latch, which is connected with the spring-controlled latchlever C. The latch is retracted by operating the latch-lever against the resistance of a spring, D, which latter serves to normally maintain the latch projected from the case in the usual way.

As a means for operating the latch-lever so as to cause the retraction of the latch, I provide a follower, E, which also serves as a spindle for connecting together the shanks of the knobs F, which latter, when in position,`are respectively situated at opposite sides of the case. This follower consists of a part-cylindrical piece of metal provided' along eac-h end of its flattened side E2 with a transverse flange or rib, E', and at or about the middle of its convex side this said piece is provided with a lug, E3, constituting a stop for preventing the accidental withdrawal of said follower from the case. This follower E, when applied to the case, passes through the same and projects laterally from each side of the case. at points wherethe usualo enings A are formed therethrough. The convex side ofthe follower bears and is maintained against the walls of the openings A by means of the spring-con- I trolled latch-lever, which bears against the flattened side thereof at a-point about intermediate of theends of thelatter. `In such position the stop E3. lies between the opposing inner side walls of the case, and thereby pre vents said follower from working out at either side of the case. l

The knob-shank F is provided with a knob,

as usual, and can be made solid or hollow, as

preferred. The knob'shank, carrying a knob at its outer end, is at its inner end cut away at one side for a portion of its length, so that when said end is fitted to an end of the follower these two portions of said members shall together practically constitute a cylindrical knob-shank, for which the wall of an opening,

AQ in the case constitutes an annular bearing.

The plane or straight side F` of the knob-shank, which is formed by thus cutting away a portion of the latter, ts and bears against the plane side of t-he follower, and the flange or rib E at an end of the latter engages in a notch, G, formed transversely to the knobshank at or about a point where the latter is reduced to provide a plane side, F2, adapted to match the plane side E2 of the follower. Theknob shank, when thus constructed and applied, enters one of the openings formed through the case, and bears against the inner wall of said Opening.

It will be seen that a part-cylindrical portion of the knob-shank bears against the-inner wall of the opening and that the part-cylin- IOO ` tion of the knob-shank.

" neet the knob shank from the follower.

righting or bringing the knob shank at right u the follower, a iiange or rib on the latter endisconnected from the follower, whereby, when driral side of the follower constitutes a continnation of said part-cylindrical peripheral por- In order to connect the knobshank with an end of the follower E at such time as the latter is in position through the lock-case, the knob must be held in position to bring the fiattened side of, its end in opposition to the plane side of said follower, and the knob must then be tilted, so as to allow its reduced end to be inserted between the flat side of the follower and such portion of the annular inner wall of an opening, A, as will be opposite the flattened side thereof. The vend of the knobshank being thus inserted within au opening in the case while the knob-shank is inclined withrelation to the follower, the knobshank can then be interlocked with said follower by angles to the knob-case, in which position one of the flanges or ribs E will engage in the notch or groove G in the knob-shank. By this means, so long as the axis of the knobshank is in a line coincident with the axis of gaging a notch in the knob-shank will lock the two members together, and a pull on the knob outwardly and in a direction at right angles to either the lock-case or the door will obviously have no effectwhatever to discon- The lock-case is fitted within a mortise in the door, as usual, and each knob-shank passes through a rose, H, secured to the door in the ordinary way. In addition to its usual function the rose, thus fitted upon a knob-shank and secured to the side of the door, prevents the knob-shank from beng tilted and thereby it is desired either to connect the knob-shank with or to disconnect the same 'from said follower, it is necessary that the rose shall be detached from the door. The follower thus serves to connect with each other two knob-Shanks, which connection is perfected by means of the roses serving to keep the axes of the knob-l shanks in a lin'e or lines at right angles to the door or lock-case. It will also be observed that as the function of the stop E3 upon the follower is simply to prevent the latter from being accidentally drawn ont from the lockcase, a like result could be attained by providing the follower with a pair of stops or lugs in place of the single stop herein shown, and these two stops or lugs can beso arranged that they shall, respectively, lie' against either the inner or outer sides of the lock-case.

The knob-shank herein shown has at its inner end a segmental rib, F3, which bears against the inner wall of the opening through the lock-case. This segmental rib, when thev knob-shank is fitted to the follower and the knobshank is brought at right angles to the door, serves to fill up the segmental space left in the opening A at one side of the follower,-

passing through the said opening. This construction is preferable, since it admits of the notch i`n the knob-shank being made of such depth and a rib, E', atan end of the follower, being made of such height as shall insure an efcient'and reliable connection between said follower and the.knobshank. This will be understood by referring to Fig. 7, wherein the knob-shank is shown in an inclined position and ready to be connected with the follower by bringing down theshank into its proper position. It will be seen from this figure that the height of the rib E at an end of the follower requires the knob-shank to be tilted considerably in order to bring its notch over the said rib, and at the same time to allow the inner end of the knob-shank .to be inserted through the lock-case at a point in one of its openings A and at one side of the follower. In this tilted position the rounded side of the knObshank, at a point back of its segmental rib F3, will bear against the case at the outer edge of the opening, while the inner end of the knob-shank will rest upon or against the attened side of the follower; but assoon as the knob is righted the rib E of the follower will be received in the notch G of the knobshank, the flattened side portion, F2, of the knob-shank will fit against the flattened side of the follower, and the segmental rib F3 of the knobshank will be -brought into position to bear againstthe inner wall of an opening, A', in the case.

This invention is applicable to latches whether used in connection with mortise-locks or with rim-locks or in connection with a latch-case made separate and distinct from a case containing the locking-bolt, which is operated by a key. y

When a pair of knob-Shanks are connected together. by the follower,- as in Fig. 1, and the roses are secured to the door so as to maintain the knob-Shanks parallel with said connection between the two, the effect is that of a pair of knob-Shanks connected withy each other by a spindle carrying the usual hub for operating the latch-lever. Under my arrangement, however, the spindle is dispensed with and the knob shanks connected with each other by a cheap and simple device, which, while performing all of the functions of a hub or cam-piece for operating the latch-lever, also serves to connect the knob-Shanks with eachother in such manner that neither knob-shank can be removed without first detaching a rose from the door.v It will also be observedthat the employment of either screws or any other form of screw-threaded connection between the knob-Shanks, and a spindle or a hub between the knob-Shanks, is avoided.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The rose and the follower, adaptedto be passed through the case, in combination with a knobshank fitted againstand coupled with an end portion of thefollower through the me IOO IIO

dium of a projection on the latter member entering a notch in the former member, the knob-shank, when thus connected with the follower, being projected into an opening formed through the case, substantially as described.

2. The follower of a latch and the shank of .a knob coupled together and respectively bearing against opposite sides of a side opening in the case, in combination with a rose which, when tted upon the knob-shank and secured in position to prevent the knobshank from being tipped, shall under such circumstances prevent the detachment of the knob-v shank from the follower,l substantially as described.

3. The knobshank provided at one end portion with a flattened side and a notch back of the same, in combination with the follower E, provided with a projection adapted to enter the notch in the knob-shank, and means for maintaining the axis of the knob-shank parallel with the axis of the follower7 for the purpose set forth.

A. A pair of knob-shanks, and a follower jpassi ng through the case detachably connecting said shanks and adapted to actuate the latch mechanism, in combination with the latch project-ing between the opposing ends of the knob-Shanks and the roses, by which connection between the knobshanks and the follower is preserved at such time as the roses are in position to maintain the axes of the knobshank at right angles to or in'proper relative position with the case, substantially as described.

5. The knob shank and the case provided with a circular opening receiving the knobshank, in combination with a follower occupying a'part only of said opening, a latch-bolt, a lever or slide, and a spring for actuating the latch-bolt, substantially as described.

ll/IILTON C. NAILES.

Witnesses W. W. ELLIOTT, Ci-IAs. G. PAGE. 

